A musical composition 2 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 3 a Benjaminite named Cush. 4
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 5
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
Book 1
(Psalms 1-41)
1:1 How blessed 7 is the one 8 who does not follow 9 the advice 10 of the wicked, 11
or stand in the pathway 12 with sinners,
or sit in the assembly 13 of scoffers! 14
For the music director; to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.
61:1 O God, hear my cry for help!
Pay attention to my prayer!
61:2 From the most remote place on earth 16
I call out to you in my despair. 17
Lead me 18 up to an inaccessible rocky summit! 19
61:3 Indeed, 20 you are 21 my shelter,
a strong tower that protects me from the enemy. 22
61:4 I will be a permanent guest in your home; 23
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. 24 (Selah)
61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. 25
61:6 Give the king long life!
Make his lifetime span several generations! 26
61:7 May he reign 27 forever before God!
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. 28
61:8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually, 29
as I fulfill 30 my vows day after day.
1 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
2 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
3 tn Or “on account of.”
4 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
5 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
6 sn Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.
7 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
8 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3). Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form צַדִּיקִים [tsadiqim, “righteous, godly”] in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text (cf. NRSV). However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows the translation to retain this emphasis.
9 tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk–stand–sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.
10 tn The Hebrew noun translated “advice” most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.
11 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21).
12 tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.
13 tn Here the Hebrew term מוֹשַׁב (moshav), although often translated “seat” (cf. NEB, NIV), appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”).
14 tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant individuals (Prov 21:24) who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.
11 sn Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.
16 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate (1) the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or (2) it may be hyperbolic (the psalmist feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land).
17 tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
18 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
19 tn Heb “on to a rocky summit [that] is higher than I.”
21 tn Or “for.”
22 tn Or “have been.”
23 tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”
26 tn Heb “I will live as a resident alien in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
27 sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
31 tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
36 tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”
41 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
42 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
46 tn Or “forever.”
47 tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.